We all know where water comes from. Out of taps. And most Australians have grown up believing that the supply of water from our taps is endless. But in reality it's taken great engineering feats to get the water to us, especially in the cities. Dams have been built and rivers diverted. And while this has meant an abundant supply of clean water in the past, there is a danger that in the not so distant future, water may become a scarce and valuable commodity.

"It's becoming an international problem. Cities are gobbling up too much water and they're polluting at the same time and something has to be done about it."

Australia is a dry land and country dwellers constantly face droughts and water restrictions. In the city though water is taken for granted. But if we don't stop using it so carelessly we may all face water shortages in the future.

"We used to have a lot of rivers and only a few dams, but now we have got a lot of dams and few rivers. In other words the easy development of water is long gone for Australia. We need to learn better how to manage what we've got."

Geoff Syme, from Australia's science organisation, CSIRO, has been working with the Water Corporation, in his hometown of Perth to find out how people are using water in their homes.

Six hundred houses are being monitored for information about their water usage, and a further 120 households have had special water meters installed. The meters are checked each week by the West Australian Water Corporation, to record how much water is used and at what time of the day. And when this data is combined with more specific written information from the householder about how that water has been used, a pattern of use can be established.

"Well the meters help us because they, for the first time, fairly effectively, they can tell us when and where we use the water and what sequence and why we have peaks in water use and so on. Once we know how much good quality drinking water is being used for irrigate our gardens, and flushing our toilets, we can figure out, well okay, what is the capacity for us to recycle that water in that house so in fact we're not using the high quality water once and sending it down the drain."

Once this pattern of water use is known, authorities will attempt to educate people by persuading them to change the way they use water in their homes. For example the laundry and bathwater could be stored in tanks for reuse on the garden or in the toilet. And industry encouraged to design better appliances, such as water tanks specifically designed for city dwellings.

"We need to take notice now. All the easy solutions are gone in Australia. Every drop of water the city uses is taking it away from the environment and is polluting it to some degree."

By finding out how we are using our water, scientists can develop ways to help save this precious commodity before it's too late.

CSIRO Land and Water
Private Bag 5
Wembley WA 6913